Float

ABSTRACT

A float comprising one or more vessels of sheet material having a flat top and substantially vertical sides, with transversely placed brackets secured to the top for supporting stringers and a deck, the stringers bearing down upon the sides of the vessel under downward load, but bearing upward only upon the top thereof. The float may be completely disassembled when stored, or it may be constructed of two parts which may be transported and stored in side-by-side relation to occupy a minimum of space.

United sates Wtet ABSTRACT: A float comprising one or more vessels of sheet material having a flat top and substantially vertical sides, with transversely placed brackets secured to the top for supporting stringers and a deck, the stringers bearing down upon the sides of the vessel under downward load, but bearing upward only upon the top thereof. The float may be completely disassembled when stored, or it may be constructed of two parts which may be transported and stored in side-by-side relation to occupy a minimum of space.

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,742,012 4/1956 Bridges........................

11 Claims, 18 Drawing lFigs.

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[50] Fieldof This invention relates to floats such as are anchored offshore to provide a support or basefor swimmers in deep water.

The popular construction of float presently seen comprises several empty and sealed metal drums lashed by cables, straps, or the like, to a wooden platform which rests directly upon the drums, and with a wooden skirt secured to the platform to provide an enclosure for the drums. These floats are removed from the water before freezing weather sets in and are stored on shore. To facilitate transporting the floats on shore, a pair of wheels, usually transferred from a scrapped farm implement are permanently secured to the float and are used to wheel the float to its winter storage location.

A more expensive, and less popular, form of float is availa- I ble to those who do not wish to construct one themselves from drums, farm implements and odd pieces of lumber. This form may use pontoons designed and built especially for the float, and various kinds of platform to mount on the floats. Such less popular forms still use, in general, a cylindrical form of pontoon and are more likely to resemble a houseboat than a float. They are heavy and bulky and arecorrespondingly clumsy to transport on shore.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a float which will be inexpensive to build, versatile in its uses, and easy to transport and store on shore.

As a more specific object, this invention seeks to provide a float which may be readily divided into two sections for storage purposes, each section comprising a buoyant sealed vessel to which is secured substantially one-half of the plat form and supports therefor. 1

A feature of this invention is a fabricated sealed vessel which may be constructed as a basic unit for use with a variety of waterbome devices such as a support for a pier, or in pairs for houseboats, sail or motor-driven boats, etc., said unit being supplied with brackets by which the vessel is secured to a wooden or other hull or platform, and with a removable nose cone for reducing drag when the vessel is moved through the water. Another feature of this invention is a ladder which normally extends below the lowermost point of the float, but which is vertically slidable on spaced handrails so that the float can be pulled from the water and on shore without fear of damaging the ladder.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a plan view, with a portion removed, of a float incorporating this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the float of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the float as divided into two substantially equal sections for transporting and storing the float;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the float of FIG. I, looking to the right in that FIG.;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are front elevational views on a still larger scale of the means for securing astringer to the buoyant sealed vessel of the float, showing the manner in which downward thrust is taken by the sides of the vessel and upward thrust is taken by the top of the vessel, respectively;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section through the float taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a movable platform using the features of this invention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front elevational view of the vessel of FIG. S;

FIG. I0 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of the nose portion of the movable form shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. II is a fragmentary section through the support for the hand rail taken along line III-1110f FIG. 4};

FIG. I2 is a plan view in perspective of a modification of the float of FIG. I;

FIGS. I3 and I4 are fragmentary sections through the central portion of the float of FIG. I2 before and after assembly;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary plan view in perspective of the upper portion of the ladder of FIG. 12;

FIGS. I6 and I7 are fragmentary sections of the edge of the deck of the float; and

FIG. I8 is a side elevation of the ladder rail.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of the first embodiment shown therein, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4, the float is comprised of apair of vessels I9 and II, fabricated preferably from galvanized sheet steel and made watertight so as to be buoyant. The cross-sectional form of the vessels is shown more clearly in FIG. 2 and comprises a flat top I2, substantially vertical spaced sides I3 and M, and a bottom I5 formed to have a dihedralangle for increased stability. The ends 16 are closed with galvanized sheet steel and provide rigidity to the vessel.

To the flat top of each vessel are secured a plurality of spaced brackets 17 which may be identical in form. and the detailed construction of which will be described hereinafter. Said brackets arepreferably U-shaped in cross section so as to receive transversely placed wooden stringers I8 which may be identical in size and upon the tops of which is secured a platform preferably comprised of water-resistant plywood sheets 19 and 20 in standard 4' 8' sizes.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, brackets I7 have one or more aligned lateral openings which are also aligned with openings 41 in the stringer I8 through which pass bolts 42 by which the stringers are securely fastened to said brackets. The deck 20 rests upon the stringers I8 and is secured thereto by an appropriate number of wood screws 43.

One of said sheets 20 has a notch ZI cut into the side thereof between two stringers I3, and a pair of handrails 22, 23 is provided, one on either side of said notch. Access to the platform may be had from the side of the float by using one of said vessels II as a step to ascent to said platform 20.

Although a desirable size for a float may be an 8 foot square platform which, in turn, may be readily constructed from standard 4X8 sheets of plywood, a finished single-piece float of such dimensions would be heavy and awkward to transport to and from the water for storage purposes. or to transport from an assembly point to a customer. To simplify the transportation of the float therefore, the latter is made of two parts, each part including a single sheet of the plywood of the platform E9 or 20. To this end, the stringers I8 are made of two pieces 24 and 25 which, however, may be identical in form and reduced at one end to one-half thickness to make a lap joint, shown generally at 26. A pair of bolts 27 (FIG. 2) in each said lap joint serves to secure the two stringer pieces 24 and 2S rigidly together when the float is assembled.

It is customary to anchor floats some distance from shore, and accordingly, the central stringer may be provided with an opening 28 (FIG. I) through which a suitable anchoring device, such as a cable, rope, chain, etc., secured to a weighted device at the bottom of the body of water, may be passed.

The handrails 22, 23 may be identical and may be formed of a flat steel stock bent in the form of an unsymmetrical U. The short leg of the U has its end 29 bent to overlie the surface of the platform 20 and is securely bolted thereto. The longer leg of the U overlies an angle bracket 3t (FIG. I I) which is secured to the top 10 of the vessel II, either by bolting, welding, or the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, each of the brackets I7 is secured by rivets 31 and 32 to the top I2 of a vessel. In its preferred form, each vessel is comprised of a sheet of galvanized steel which is bent to form the bottom and sides of the vessel. The ends are formed by appropriately shaped galvanized sheet steel pieces soldered to the bottom and sides. The flat top is formed by a rectangular sheet joined to the tops of the sides by an overlapped joint. The joints are shown at 33 and 34 and are of such character that the top may he slid laterally upon inturned flanged ends 35 and 3b of the sides I?) and 14. The longitudinal exposed edge 37 is then soldered to the sides to produce a watertight joint.

it may be noted that the lapped joints provide rigid comers and bearing surfaces, or rails, for the transmission of a load from a stringer to the sides i3 and 14. This is shown more clearly in HO. 5. it will be noted in that FlG. that the stringer 18 rests directly upon the lapped joints 34 and 35, and that any weight or load on the stringer is transmitted directly to the sides 13 and M. This is made possible by the fact that in the form chosen to illustrate this invention the brackets 17 are shorter than the dimension between the lapped joints 34 and 35 so that the stringers 18 may rest directly upon the said joints 34, 35. it is, of course, possible to make the brackets themselves rest upon the corners, but such length is not necessary and involves the use of more material than is required for the stresses involved.

it may be noted that the rivets which secure the brackets 17 to the top 12 are spaced inwardly from the lapped joints 33 and 34. This leaves a section 33 between the lapped joint and rivet which is adapted to provide some flexibility so that upon lifting of the stringers and platform by waves or the like, section 38 may flex and help distribute the load. The length of the section 38 is preferably selected so as to produce the minimum amount of localized stress on the top 12 and thereby to avoid rupture by fatigue. Suitable precautions will be taken, of course, to prevent any water from leaking into the vessels through the holes for the rivets 31, 32.

FIG. 3 shows a float which is suitable as a base for a houseboat or the like. it is comprised of two floats of the kind shown in FIG. 1, placed end-to-end and appropriately secured together so that the vessels 10, 11 (FIG. 1) of each are aligned with those of the other. A nose cone 39 is fastened to the forward ends of each of the vessels It) and 11 of the front float. Said nose cones are preferably fabricated from galvanized sheet steel and arranged to slip over the ends of said vessels (FlG. re) and to be secured thereto. To this end, each nose cone 3? is formed with a skirt 44 which fits snugly over the end of a vessel it), and is formed with a flange 45 designed to abut upon the end bracket 17 and to be secured thereto by bolts 42. Said nose cones reduce the drag of the vessels as they are moved through the water. instead of a houseboat, a catamaran type of sailboat may be formed from the basic structure, as well as other vessels which may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

The location of the hollow support vessels and 11 at the very edges of the float, and the straight-sided configuration of the vessels makes the float very stable, particularly with offcenter loads such as are created by, a swimmer boarding the float via the handrails 22, 23.

in the modification shown in H0. 12, the stringers are single-piece members instead of two pieces joined together. it may be found with the previously described FIG. 1 form that wave action may loosen the joint in the stringers and thus cause a pinching action on the deck where the two plywood sheets join. The FlG. 12 modification is therefore constructed to eliminate the pinching action.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the modification shown there is comprised of two sheets 46, 47 of marine plywood or the like which may be of standard 4'X8 dimensions and of thickness. The sheets are supported by three 2" 8 stringers 48, 49 and 50, each of which is 8 feet long. The vessels 10 and Ill and the method of securing the stringers to the vessels are substantially identical to those shown in FIG. 1, and hence will not be described here. The central stringer 49, however, supports the adjacent sides of sheets 4-6, 47 in the manner shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Thus the side of sheet 47 is fastened by screws 51 directly to the top of stringer 49, and the adjacent side of sheet 46 is secured by flat-headed bolts 52 to an angle iron 53 substantially coextensive with stringer 49 and disposed one-half the thickness of the stringer from the side of sheet 46. Angle iron 53 is then secured by bolts 54 to stringer 49 The foregoing FIG. 12 construction results in greater rigidity of the float, and since the abutting sides of the deck sheets 46, 47 are securely fastened to a common stringer, pinching action between the abutting sides is eliminated. This form, however, must be more completely disassembled when it is to be transported or stored. it is contemplated that deck sheet 46, angle iron 53 and stringer 48, will remain as a subassembly, and similarly,'deck'sheet 47, and stringers 49 and 50 will likewise remain as a subassembly.

A feature of the HO. 12 form of float is a ladder and rail combination which is more convenient to use and which automatically shortens itself to the level of the bottom of the vessel when the float rests upon shore or is moved out of the water to the shore. The ladder is shown at 55 in FIG. 12 and the details are shown in FlGS. i5 and 18. The handrails 56, 57 may be substantially identical in form and size and are each comprised of %"Xl steel bars bent as shown in FlG. 28 into the form of an inverted U, the ends 58, 59 being bent, one under and the other over, deck sheet 47 to form-attaching lugs. Suitable bolts 60, 61 passing through the lugs serve to fasten the rails to deck sheet 47.

The outer side 62 of each handrail 56 and 57 is made straight and substantially perpendicular to deck sheet 47. Between handrails 56, 57 is disposed a bracket 63 preferably made of 16 gauge galvanized steel, said bracket resembling an angle iron with a horizontal leg 64 fitting between the rails and a vertical leg 65 overlying the top of ladder 55 and appropriately secured thereto. Horizontal leg 64 has notched 66 in the ends thereof in which ride the rails 56, 57, thus securely retaining bracket 63 between them. Bracket 63 and its attached ladder are normally held against downward movement by leg 64 resting upon the deck sheet 47, so that persons climbing up the ladder out of the water are fully supported.

For the convenience of those using ladder 55, it is made to extend downward into the water below vessel 10. This would cause the ladder to drag on the bottom of the lake, river, etc.. as the float is pulled on shore and to take half the weight of the float, throwing a severe side load on the ladder. By the foregoing construction, ladder 55 and its bracket 63 simply ride up on the straight portions 62 of the rails 56, 57, so that the ladder does not extend below vessel 10 and hence is not required to take severe side loads.

The upper surfaces of deck sheets 46 and 47 are preferably covered with a suitable cloth 67 (FlG. 17) adhered to the surface of the sheets by paint. Such adhered cloth prevents the plywood from splintering, provides better floating for users of the float and enhances the appearance of the float. An aluminum trim 68 (FIG. 16) may be glued or nailed around the exposed edges of each sheet 46, 47 to further enhance the appearance of the float and to provide protection for the edges thereof when boats are tied to the float.

When the FIG. 12 form is to be disassembled, ladder 55 and handrails 56, 57 can remain with deck sheet 47, but if it becomes awkward or unwieldy to have them so remain, the rails can be removed by withdrawing bolts 60 and 6H, and the ladder with handrails 56, 57 can be removed as a unit.

Thus in both forms of float, disassembly of the parts thereof for easy transportation and storage is readily accomplished, and the sealed vessels used therewith can be incorporated into other floating devices. or used alone as temporary supports for piers, walks, disabled boats, small single platform amusement devices, or the like.

lclaim:

i. A float comprising a hollow, watertight vessel having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets disposed on the top of the vessel, means securing the brackets to the top, transverse stringers means securing the stringers to the brackets, and a platform secured to the stringers; said flat top comprising an individual flexible metal sheet secured along its sides to the vessel, said means securing the brackets to the top comprising fasteners disposed inwardly from the sides of the sheet to leave a flexible section of the sheet between the said sides and the fasteners, and said stringers extending over the vessel at both sides thereof and adapted to bear downward upon said sides of the vessel when under a load and to lift off the sides and be held by the fasteners upon a reversal of the load, whereby to provide a flexible support for said stringers.

2. A float as described in claim ll, said stringers being each comprised of at least two sections, and means for separably joining said sections, said platform being divided into sections coextensive with the sections of the stringers, such that the float may be stored as two parts placed side-by-side.

3. A float as described in claim 2, said platform comprising two substantially identical rectangular sheets of plywood such that said two float parts are of substantially the same size and configuration.

d. A float as described in claim 1, said platform having a notch formed in a side thereof above a vessel and a handrail extending from the platform to the vessel adjacent the notch, the top of said vessel serving as a step by which to ascend to the platform.

5. A float as described in claim i, a ladder disposed at the side of said float, and means for securing said ladder to said float for limited vertical movement relative to said float.

6. A float as described in claim 1, said platform comprising two substantially identical sheets of plywood, there being three stringers, and each sheet of plywood being secured individually and separably to one stringer and to the third stringer.

7. A float comprising a hollow, watertight vessel having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets disposed on the top of the vessel, means securing the brackets to the top, transverse stringers, means securing the stringers to the brackets, and a platform secured to the stringers; said vessel being comprised of sheet metal and having substantially flat spaced sides, a bottom which has a dihedral angle in cross section and closed ends, said sides and said top having overlapping and interlocked edges forming load-supporting rails for transmitting a load to the sides of said vessel.

d. A float as described in claim 7, said brackets extending only over said top and said stringers extending beyond said brackets at said overlapped and interlocked edges, such that downward load exerted by said stringers is transmitted directly to said edges, and upward load on said stringers is transmitted only to said top.

'59. A float comprising a hollow, watertight vessel having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets disposed on the top of the vessel, means securing the brackets to the top, transverse stringers, means securing the stringers to the brackets, a platform secured to the stringers, and a nose cone for said vessel, said nose cone having a skirt which tits snugly over the end of said vessel and a flange adapted to overlie the bracket and said means securing the stringers to the bracket also securing the nose cone flange to one of said brackets.

iii. A float comprising a hollow, watertight vessel having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets secured to the top of the vessel, a second hollow, watertight vessel spaced from the first and having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets secured to the top of said second vessel and aligned with the brackets on the first-mentioned vessel, transverse stringers extending across both vessels and supported thereby, means securing the stringers to the brackets, a platform secured to the stringers, a ladder disposed at the side of said float, spaced handrails secured to the float and having parallel portions adjacent the ladder, and means secured to the ladder and extending between said rails, said means having notches in the opposite ends thereof to receive the handrails for sliding movement thereon.

It. A float as described in claim it), said means secured to the ladder comprising an angular bracket having one leg overlying the platform to act as a downward stop. 

1. A float comprising a hollow, watertight vessel having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets disposed on the top of the vessel, means securing the brackets to the top, transverse stringers means securing the stringers to the brackets, and a platform secured to the stringers; said flat top comprising an individual flexible metal sheet secured along its sides to the vessel, said means securing the brackets to the top comprising fasteners disposed inwardly from the sides of the sheet to leave a flexible section of the sheet between the said sides and the fasteners, and said stringers extending over the vessel at both sides thereof and adapted to bear downward upon said sides of the vessel when under a load and to lift off the sides and be held by the fasteners upon a reversal of the load, whereby to provide a flexible support for said stringers.
 2. A float as described in claim 1, said stringers being each comprised of at least two sections, and means for separably joining said sections, said platform being divided into sections coextensive with the sections of the stringers, such that the float may be stored as two parts placed side-by-side.
 3. A float as described in claim 2, said platform comprising two substantially identical rectangular sheets of plywood such that said two float parts are of substantially the same size and configuration.
 4. A float as described in claim 1, said platform having a notch formed in a side thereof above a vessel and a handrail extending from the platform to the vessel adjacent the notch, the top of said vessel serving as a step by which to ascend to the platform.
 5. A float as described in claim 1, a ladder disposed at the side of said float, and means for securing said ladder to said float for limited vertical movement relative to said float.
 6. A float as described in claim 1, said platform comprising two substantially identical sheets of plywood, there being three stringers, and each sheet of plywood being secured individually and separably to one stringer and to the third stringer.
 7. A float comprising a hollow, watertight vessel having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets disposed on the top of the vessel, means securing the brackets to the top, transverse stringers, means securing the stringers to the brackets, and a platform secured to the stringers; said vessel being comprised of sheet metal and having substantially flat spaced sides, a bottom which has a dihedral angle in cross section and closed ends, said sides and said top having overlapping and interlocked edges forming load-supporting rails for transmitting a load to the sides of said vessel.
 8. A float as described in claim 7, said brackets extending only over said top and said stringers extending beyond said brackets at said overlapped and interlocked edges, such that downward load exerted by said stringers is transmitted directly to said edges, and upward load on said stringers is transmitted only to said top.
 9. A float comprising a hollow, watertight vessel having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets disposed on the top of the vessel, means securing the brackets to the top, transverse stringers, means securing the stringers to the brackets, a platform secured to the stringers, and a nose cone for said vessel, said nose cone having a skirt which fits snugly over the end of said vessel and a flange adapted to overlie the bracket and said means securing the stringers to the bracket also securing the nose cone flange to one of said brackets.
 10. A float comprising a hollow, watertight vessel having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets secured to the top of the vessel, a second hollow, watertight vessel spaced from the first and having a substantially flat top, spaced brackets secured to the top of said second vessel and aligned with the brackets on the first-mentioned vessel, transverse stringers extending across both vessels and supported thereby, means securing the stringers to the brackets, a platform secured to the stringers, a ladder disposed at the side of said float, spaced handrails secured to the float and having parallel portions adjacent the ladder, and means secured to the ladder and extending between said rails, said means having notches in the opposite ends thereof to receive the handrails for sliding movement thereon.
 11. A float as described in claim 10, said means secured to the ladder comprising an angular bracket having one leg overlying the platform to act as a downward stop. 